Sound-reproducing apparatus.



W. O. C. ELLIS.

SOUND REPRODUGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 190B.

91 8,487, Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

vwentoz UNITED STATES i a rENT OFFICE.

WILLIS O. C. ELLIS, OF NEAR GRE ENFIELD, OHIO.

SOUND-REPRODUCING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Applipation filed January 31, 1908. Serial No. 418,711.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, Hum O. C. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing near Greenfield, in the county of Highland andv ing to provide a practical and efficient device for reproducing sounds from a sound record and transmitting the same to a telephone receiver, the parts of the a )paratus being so constructed, combined an arranged that the reproduction is rendered exact and transmitted to the receiver which may be situated at any distance from the reproducer such as an adjoining room or building or at materially reator distance.

ith the above general object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure l is a sectional view of thereproducer. Fig. 2 is a detail section showing the manner of in sulating the initial pressure regulating screw. Fig. 3 is a detail section illustrating the connection between one of the contact supporting springs and the stylus carrier. a diagrammatic view, showing the contact points of the reproducer, the receiver and the electrical connections.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of the reproducer which is of open cen ter formation and composed of suitable material having no electrical conductivity, said body being designed to be closed at one side by means of a suitable cover 2 indicated by dotted lines in F i 1.

Secured to the body 1 in op osite relation to each other are springs 3 am 4 which support contact points 5 and 6 both of which are preferably composed of carbon as indicated Those springs are secured fixedly 1n Fig. 1. to the body 1 by screws 7 and 8 or their equivalent while the opposite ends which support the contact points 5 and 6 are left free or unsupported.

9 designates an initial pressure regulatin screw which passes through the spring 3 an engages a threaded opening in the s ring 4 at a distance comparatively near the Xed ends of the springs, as shown in Fig. 1. Where the screw 9 passes through the spring 3, it is insulated therefrom by a bushing 10 of hard rubber or its equivalent to avoid electrical connection between the springs at such point. To the other spring 4 there is applied a pivot lug 11 which carries a pivot pin 12 on which is fulcrumed a stylus carrier 13, the said carrier being pivotally mounted at'a point inter mediate its ends and carrying at or near one extremity a stylus 14 adapted to move in contact with a sound record'which is shown at 15 in Fig. 1 in the form of a cylinder. To

the opposite end of the stylus carrier 14 is attached one end of a tension s ring 16 to the opposite end of which is attac led a non-conducting strand 17 which may be of silk or other suitable material, the strand 17 being connected at its opposite end to the extremity of an operative pressure regulating screw 18 which passes through a threaded opening in the extremity of the spring 3. It will be seen that by turning the screw 18, the tension of the spring 16 may be accurately adjusted to regulate the operative pressure between the carbon contacts 5 and 6 when the stylus carrier is actuated by the stylus and sound record 15 during the rotation of the latter.

Under the preferred embodiment ,of the invention, the reproducer body 1 is provided with a plurality of binding posts 19 and 2() to which wires lead respectively from the screws 7 and S which are in electrical contact with the springs 3 and 4. Circuit wires 21 and 22 lead 011' fronr the binding posts 19 and to a telephone receiver 23, the said circuit including a battery 24 and an induction coil 25 involving primary and secondary windings.

By reason of the construction and arrangement above described the entire current which enters the reproducer must neoessarily flow through the carbon contacts and it will be noted that the carbon contacts are subjected to undulatory pressure. When the reproducer is in use the stylus moves up and down in accordance with the projections and depressions in the grooves of the sound record. When the stylus is brought into contact with the projection or bump on the record, said stylus together with the end of the stylus carrier rises. while the opposite end of the carrier moves downward. This causes the carbon contact or button 6 to be pushed upward against the contact 5 and since the opposite end of the stylus carrier is connected by the spring 16 and strand 17 to the spring 3 by means of the screw 18, the carbon utton 5 is ulled downward against the button 6.

spring 16 kee s the carrier in contact with t e stop 26 w en the stylus is not resting on the record. By means of the arrangement described, musical sounds as well as articulate language may be correctly reproduced and transmitted to the receiver an the latter may be located at any distance from the reproducer. The essential feature of the invention resides in subjecting the body of carbon to varying "ressure mechanically transmitted thereto y. the raised anddepressed portions of the sound record thus causing a telephone receiver, when actuated by a current passing through the carbon contacts or buttons or their equivalent t repr duce the sound or sounds which caused the impression to ,be made on the record.

-. When a'phon'ograph is etauipped with theform of reproducer above escribed,it will be apparent that it is not necessary to have the receiver in the same room with the reproducer or even in the same building. All thatis necessary'isto place a suitable device such as a=multipl1one at the place or places where the reproduction is to be heard and connect the same by wires with the secondary winding' of the induction coill- For dictation purposes, it is not necessary for the J typewriter operator to be in the same room with the dictator as the operator-may r'emain-at his or her desk at any distance from the reproducer and hear the words as distinctly as if located immediately adjacent erefore, each upward movement of the stylus causes the carbon be connected to the re roducer and the reproductions received y a corresponding number of parties at different points without interference.

While I have specified carbon as the material subjected to undulatory pressure, it'will be obvious that any suitable material having the necessary properties and electrical conductivity may be substituted in place of the. carbon. a

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. Sound reproducing apparatus comprising a reproducer provided with spring contact arms, contact points secured to the ends of said arms, an initial pressure regulating screw extending throu h said arms and insulated therefrom, a sty us carrier pivoted to one of said spring arms, a spring connected to one end of said carrier, a regulating screw connected to said sprin by a non-conducting strand, said regu ating screw being mounted in one of the spring contact arms,

cluding varying resistance contacts.

2. A sound reproducing apparatus comprising a reproducer casing, spring contact arms secured to said casing, an initial pressure regulating screw passing through said spring arms and-insulated therefrom, carbon contact points on the ends of said springs, a stylus carrier pivotally connected to one of said spring arms, a stop on the last mentioned spring arm, a spiral spring connected to said stylus carrier, a strand or filament connected to said spring, a regulating screw ,connected to said strand, said screw being mounted in one of said spring arms, an electric circuit including varying resistance contacts, and a telephone receiver in said circuit. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIS O. O. ELLIS.

Witnesses:

C. S. ELLIS,

W. E. KNEDLER.

Tto the reproducer. Several receivers may and an undulatory transmitting surface in- 

